KiwicampersReviews 

I didn't book the camper or use the camper
My sister and brother-in-law from Australia did.
They came to NZ to visit my family and I in Dunedin and then planned to travel around the top of the South Island.
When they arrived at Kiwi Campers in Christchurch, to pick up the van, they had booked and paid for months previously, they were told by Kiwi Campers that they KC, have canceled their camper van and didn't have a replacement.
A van happen to come in while they were there and they managed to get that one for 4 days but there wasn't a van available for the rest off their holiday.
Because no vans were available from any other providers, they had to rent a small hatchback ( peak season nothing available) and book accommodation at motels.
Luckily they had the means to do this, how would a visitor to another country get on if they didn't have extra funds.
I feel the whole scenario was disgraceful,
Hence why I'm writing this review.
I would avoid and try someone else.

Horrible customer service from the manager Michael. He handled the whole conversation very unprofessionally and childish and tried to tell us we had issues with the car due to our bad driving skills and not because of the shitty cars they rent out. First after road service had a look at it and told us it should never been rented out in the first place they would listen to us and provide us a new car. It ended up taking 3 days to get the new car.
We later found out that the manager Michael is the owners son. I guess that what you get when you hire family instead of qualified people.

3 cars in 2 weeks - avoid this company

We rented a campervan from Kiwi Campers, and it was a terrible experience.

The first vehicle broke down after just 30 minutes (gearbox failure). After waiting several hours, we received a replacement, but that one also had a faulty gearbox. After a week of driving, we contacted the company because we no longer felt safe.

The manager (Michael) dismissed our concerns and claimed we simply didn’t know how to drive a manual. We then called roadside assistance, who confirmed the vehicle was unsafe and should never have been rented out.

We had to wait a couple more days for yet another replacement car. The third vehicle had over 800,000 km on it.

Overall, the customer service was poor, and the vehicles were old, faulty and unsafe.

A terrible experience with this company, Booked a van 6 months in advance and paid in full But they cancelled 2 days before pick up and were not interested in helping to secure another van which left us stranded without a van for our month long holiday in the South Island, NZ. Reasons for cancellation did not add up, first notification said they had cancelled at our request, when we contacted them to say no such request had been made they said it was because of a ;problem which meant the van was not safe. They also told the booking agency that we had cancelled. After contact with us the booking agency contacted Kiwi Campers who then came back with safety story. No confidence in their integrity, avoid if you want a trouble free holiday .

We booked with kiwicampers 5 months in advance a campervan to travel new zealand 2 weeks in the north and two in the south. A month before our trip we realized that all the ferries between the north and south island were fully booked. In our original booking frim kiwicampers we selected the option „ferry booking“, however we were never contacted by the company regarding our crossing date or given a voucher to book the ferry ourselves. Since it was not possible to cross to the south island we contacted kiwicampers for a partial refund and to bring the campervan back 2 werks early. Not only was the refund denyed (which would have been fine with us) but also they said we have to pay an additional 1000$ because we would bring back the van at the pickup location in Auckland and not drive the van to Christchurch! The customer service was very stubborn and would not try to reach a solution. They provided us a ferry booking two weeks after our desired crossing date, which would have ment we would have to skip the south island and spend 4 weeks in the north.
Also the vans are more expensive than on other more reputable companies and offer little to no insurance even if the price is already so high.
Horrible company, horrible customer service, if I could i would leave 0 stars!

We hired a kiwi campervan for 3 weeks in the South Island and then for 2 weeks in the North Island (booked in advance through an agent from the UK). If we'd done any proper research prior we wouldn't have gone near them. Both our vans had multiple issues and both were 'nails'! They'd each already done hundreds of thousands of km and were well past their use by dates. Our second van even had a half full toilet from previous hirers and when we raised this via email a few days later (as we'd not needed to use it being on sites) we were disbelieved....! The fridge wouldn't stay cold so we had to stay on sites but they refused to compensate us. Our first van had ignition issues and we never knew if it would start each day.
** In short, AVOID booking with this company as you will be disappointed. You do not get what you pay for...**

DON’T HIRE A CAMPERVAN FROM KIWI CAMPERS. You have to pay up front before arriving in New Zealand and then you are basically stuck with what was in our experience poor quality service and a decrepit van that bore no relation to the blurb on their website. We booked a van for 5 weeks. On arrival at the depot in Christchurch the vehicle wasn’t ready and we had to wait around a shopping area near the airport for hours while they worked on a broken door on the vehicle. When we returned later as agreed it still wasn’t ready so they brought out another van as a replacement. I queried the overall state of this van – it looked nothing like the one advertised on their site. It looked more like a builder’s van you would see here in the UK; dented, rusty with peeling and faded logos. They refused to replace it even though there were other decent looking vehicles in their yard. We’d already lost a day of our holiday so we were stuck with it.
We camped that evening only to find that the supplied crockery and cutlery was in a disgusting state: dirty plates covered in food and toilet chemicals and pots and pans that didn’t have lids. The light in the toilet was smashed.
We had to return to Christchurch for Kiwi Campers to clean the interior of the van, fix the light and supply new crockery etc. Despite my request they still refused to replace the van with a newer one even though they had a yard full of clean looking vans. It was only when we tried to cook for the first time that evening, we realised that only one gas ring worked. We weren’t going back to Christchurch again so we just put up with it.
We wasted days of our precious holiday as a result of Kiwi Campers’ failure to provide the vehicle and the service that they advertised. They really should be ashamed to besmirch the reputation New Zealand has for hospitality by their utter lack of concern or care for their customers. Don’t go near them!

Do NOT rent an older campervan model from Kiwi Campers. Yes they are cheaper, but man... you will encounter a lot of problems. Our manual van had a horrible gearbox, however Kiwi Campers said there was nothing wrong with it. We even had to pay extra money to get an automatic campervan as a replacement. The second van had a broken fridge.. The third van was a newer model, which was fine. Luckily it was low season, so customer service was available. In high season you are screwed.

SCAM! THIEVES!
I always check reviews before going anywhere and I didn't and I regret it...
Feedback from our experience:
- old and poorly maintained van with many problems;
- the gauge for clean and dirty water doesn't work and they know it (but don't say so);
- all the door seals fall out;
- fridge door won't close;
- a battery leak;
- a mosquito screen missing from a window, and when we told them, they said they knew but didn't tell us;
- leak inside the truck when it rains;
- one of the truck's windows doesn't open;
- the windshield wipers are on the plastic;
- the gas bottle we were supposed to fill before returning the truck turned out to be overdue and the technicians at the gas station told us it was too dangerous to handle; when we called Kiwi campers to tell them, they simply asked us to replace it without apology - of course I didn't;
They're dishonest, stupid and will never help you. They have old trucks that they don't take care of, but they don't mind renting them out.

NEVER DEAL WITH KIWI CAMPERS!

They are a SCAM company

Kiwicamper is catastrophic. Air holes everywhere, an evacuation van that does not hold, no equipment to charge your phone while driving or to clean (cigarette lighter, brooms) but above all a leak! We empty every day and it leaks.
In short, we are on vacation and instead of enjoying our stay we are trying to understand where a leak comes from!

I have written to customer service several times to inform them of the multiple problems. They have not helped me. I have written to customer service several times to inform them of the multiple problems. They have not helped me. We wanted change the campervan because we had a big leak.

Our campervan was in poor condition when we arrived to collect it. The battery was flat, the interior lights didn’t work, the remote keys didn’t work, it was rusting and dented, and the interior condition was shabby. We waited nearly two hours for them to fix the problems, but when it became obvious they had done all they were prepared to do, we asked if they had another van for us. They did have a smaller van, but wanted to charge us extra because it was ‘newer’. Their attitude was ‘not negotiable’ and a call to their Head Office confirmed they would not give us a refund if we cancelled. Their competitors offered us the exact same van at $109/day,as opposed to the $180/day we paid. We strongly advise anyone to avoid using Kiwi Campers.

If I could give this company 0 star then I would. We received a damaged van but continued with our trip. After 10 days we had a flat and perished tyre which had been completely worn. Luckily we were at a campsite otherwise it could have been extremely dangerous. The company suggested we call AA out (and pay $150 in doing so) to get them to change the tyre over. We should not have been sent away with a tyre so worn down. Following this, our van was NOT fitted with a smoke alarm which is a legal requirement. However after speaking with their awful customer service manager, Michael who clearly knows nothing - he stated that vans do not need a smoke alarm, this is false.

During our time in the van, at night we would continuously hear rustling from any bag we left on the floor. Days following this we found mouse droppings in food cupboards and the applicable cupboard with our food eaten in to. After calling the company, we were told by Michael, to buy traps and that it is common for mice to enter campervans during winter - yet he had never had a case like this before. Michael then refused to pay for us to stay in accomodation as we felt very uncomfortable sleeping in the van with mice in. Instead he offered to pay for peanut butter for the mice.

Michael then stated there was no one else above him to speak to, following this he then said that those people did not want to speak to me. After this he said he has better things to do than be on the phone with me and that he was going to hang up. I have never experienced anything like this and would not want others to

ONE STAR IS TOO GENEROUS, avoid KIWI Campers like the plague.

I would never usually write a 1 star review about a company, but this is an exception. What an absolutely embarrassment of a company. First of all we picked up a battered up van, covered on scratches, dents and bumps, it looked nothing like the pictures. We had both our rear lights cracked on the outside, on the inside we had a ripped cushion, stains on the bed sheets, back light not working and NO SMOKE ALARM (which is a legal requirement for all campervans in New Zealand). After 11 days of being with the van, our rear left tire blew out. The tire was completely bald and should have been declared dangerous to drive before we left. This is another example of where Kiwi campers have no regard for the safety of their customers. We were told that we would have to pay $150 for an AA call out, so we decided to change it ourselves.

Throughout our time in the van we had been hearing scratching and rustling any bags we left on the floor. We thought it may had been the wind, we would move the bag but would still hear the noises. We then realised our food packing was being eaten into and there was obvious animal droppings in our cupboards. We phoned up Kiwi campers and spoke to a man named Michael, from the Christchurch branch. From looking at old reviews including Michaels name, we can understand why we were dealt with so unprofessionally. When we explained everything that had gone wrong with the van, he was completely dismissive. Explaining that other people have had bed bugs and gotten on with it, refused to pay for any accommodation for us, and refused to let us speak to anyone higher than him.

We have refused to sleep another night in the van and have called off the trip 4 days early. Can’t recommend staying away from this company anymore.

Things have certainly not improved, supporting a young couple from uk just now who have just had similar lack of service when things are wrong. Operations manager Refusing to connect me with owner of company to sort out grievances, no refund for early return due to mouse occupation shedded tire and no smoke alarms. Very embarrassing as a NZer. Do you research and don't use this company

The campervan was old, one of the blinds was missing, the gps-system did not work and on day 10 the cooling system exploded. No replacement, no compensation, no excuses. Horrible

Well, I can just join the line of unsatified customers. The motorhome wasn't ready for pick up, and then we got a very used and smelly motorhome. Then several issues have to be fixed and a guy told us it just have been filled with oil. After a couple of days, the oil lamp turned on, funny enough there were too much oil on the motor and it were very black, but Kiwicampers told us to drive on. We didn't have any other problems, but when we join the schuttle bus for the airport, we realized we were the lucky one, when we heard the other users story about their motorhomes.
Same sad storries with very used and old motorhomes which often broke down.
I can't recommend Kiwicampers.

Kiwi campers / happy campers

STOP! Don’t book!

1.Old & broken vans marketed as “luxury”
2. Terrible customer service
3. Verbally abusive manager Brian

Read on if you want an honest review:

This is a terrible company, if this comment stops one other person from using this company then I’ve done my bit. They certainly dented our kiwi experience and so called kiwi hospitality.

We had 3 vans within our 5 week rental period. T5 2 berth Kiwi camper registration numbers EGN426 are EFE835 & EFZ574. All of these vans had faults and issues. Some were more major than others but the fact we went through 3 vans in a 5 week period and didn’t receive one apology from Kiwi campers is actually laughable.

EGN435 one day : engine oil warning light was on when we switched on the ignition. Highlighted this to Cam and another colleague in Auckland and we were told “all old T5 campers have this “ nothing to worry about. We didn’t make it out of Auckland that night, had to pull in after members of the public were flashing and tooting us as clouds of white smoke billowed out of the van. The AA came and took one look at the warning light and revs- told us there’s oil in the engine and we shouldn’t be driving it. Kiwi campers was closed by this time so we had to go back the next day.

EFE835 3 weeks : seemed ok at the start but we soon discovered only one hob worked, the central locking didn’t work, doors jammed locked and wouldn’t open, broken handles/ window locks and finally the back door was bent and therefore with any rain the bed and back area got soaked as it leaked. The leaking was very bad and we contacted kiwi campers along with the other issues. They didn’t make a note of this faults anywhere on our file. They booked us a garage for the following day and received no further contact from them. We were left no choice but to check in to a motel and spend a fortune in a laundrette drying all the bedding. The garage took one look at the van and said they couldn’t do much, they taped it for us the best they could but the door was visibly bent and you could see the sky looking up from the bed. Again our communication from Kiwi campers was non existent, no follow up to check we were ok and they seemed annoyed when we contacted them again to inform them of the motel bill we were expecting reimbursed as well as what we were to do if it rained again. A few days later the windscreen wipers stopped working, as everyone knows this makes the van illegal to drive. Again a phone call to kiwi campers and very unhelpful customer service. We spoke to a manager called Michael from the Christchurch office, he wasn’t very sympathetic, didn’t offer any apology and denied receiving certain emails from us. He also wasn’t very convincing when he told us we would be reimbursed for our motel bill and any other nights we might have to check in to alternative accommodation. The second garage fixed the wipers and also had a look at the bent door. There was also another kiwi camper at the garage that had just had the drive shaft fixed so we contacted the office to ask if we could swap in to this van. We were told we could take the van but they couldn’t do anything about the faults because we’d agree to take it anyway. At this point we were at the end of our tether - we had no other option. We suggested someone could come and meet us with a van but we were told WE would have to drive to Christchurch if we wanted that. We were on the far west coast at this point.

EFZ574: locks don’t work, stinks of stale cigarette smoke, washer fluid for windscreen wipers broken. The best out of a bad bunch.

On returning the vans we were met with no apology. We had to ask to speak to the manager after he was sending the front of house with compensation settlement figures. He didn’t introduce himself, came bellowing out of his office saying he thought he was being reasonable offering us 4 days rental back. He was towering over us, talking over us, not willing to listen to any of our complaints. He walked away numerous times and told us we could just leave then. He also said, and I quote, “you’re b****ing and moaning about small things”. At which point I got too upset and had to leave. One of the reception girls went running off to get me tissues will Brian kept talking over my partner. I think this sums up the company, if all those faults and issues are classed as moaning then it puts no faith in the company. The fact he showed no empathy or emotion to our upset shows what little people skills he has. Apparently he worked as a hotel manager previously. We paid good money to expect a “luxury “ van that they advertised. The least you expect is a secure, lockable, waterproof place to call your home on wheels.
Brian, the Christchurch manager, is the most vile, ignorant, rude and obnoxious man I’ve ever met. His employees looked visibly embarrassed, kept apologising to us and cowering as he walked past. He is nothing but a bully and we were since told had a court case taken out against him! He tries to rile you and constantly says yip yip yip over you and says he doesn’t want to hear your complaints. They also have a very high turn over of staff and none seem to stick around for long. Everything is deflected back on to you and you’re made to feel like it’s your fault. We got asked if we’d even bother to try and “fix” the gas hob or are we just complaining! When you pay for a rental you don’t expect to have to be fixing things as they break!! We also contacted them many times in order to give them a chance to rectify the problems but again were accused of not having done so. We had left a paper trail through email but again Brian had no interest in reading these or admitting fault. The fact that he was so rude and offered no apology suggests that this is a common occurrence. Rather than apologise and state it’s a one off incident it was quite the opposite reaction. Well Brian, karmas a b***h.

We saw about 5 other Kiwi campers/ happy campers ( 2 of these were in the garages we had to visit) in our whole trip through North and South Island. That says a lot about a company!
We have no doubt these vans will be rented out again and others will unfortunately have the same issues. This is not an isolated incident, we also saw a couple complaining when we were picking up our rental in Auckland. There tyres had no tread ( ie illegal) and they didn’t care at all. The customer service/ complaints management is a joke.
Interestingly they also don’t have Instagram, Twitter or Facebook as I’m sure people would go all out on these too showing what kind of company they are. The 5 star reviews are all made up, they actually have a 2 star rating.
Please avoid at all costs and spread the word!! Or you have been warned, book at your own peril.

We rented in january 2019, a camper for 2 people, Ford transit 19 days for 4274 NZD + 272 NZD pr driven 1000 km. Insurance : 4000 NZD self risk
We got an 11-year-old Ford Transit. On the speedometer stood 432000 km.
After a short drive we found, that the air conditioning was not working. All buttons in the heater were without function. The the extractor hood was stopped by old grease.
The car boiled because of leak in the radiator.we had to refill it several times after 50 to 100 km because of overheating.Fortunately it happened in places where it was not too dangerous to stop and refill.
We choose to drive back to Christchurch: 300 km. We could`nt get another camper, they want to repair. After 4 hours,we got the car again, new buttons have been put on the heat perimeter. We could now disconnect the heat, but air conditioning was not repaired. When we have driven 70 km it boiled again. We called the company,but they didn`t answer the telefon., though the time was 3 pm.After several times we got hold of them, and they still did not want to change the car . We agree to continue to our planned destination, where It boils every 100 km and must have 2 l of water.KIWI found a workshop,They found quickly the fault and repaired it.KIWI payed
Still the car leaked, it was the water tank, causing the shower didn`t work, and the tank had to be refilled at least once a day
We get 500 NZD back for our hassle, but have not had a car with an expected standard and a very poor service. My advice is, rent from another company!
 
Send feedback

We hired a Kiwi Camper Van in New Zealand last month and are very dissapointed with the company. After long delays we finally got a van booked losing hundreds of dollars while we waited. The van was poorly prepared, the grey water tank was still full and smelly and the water tank leaked and some of the tyres were marginal. We were told the water tank was over full. We wasted 1/2 day returning the van to have the tank replaced the next day. The care factor from the Auckland depot was very low and the refund we agreed to was not paid in full. When the starter motor quit the assistance we received from Kiwi and their breakdown provider was poor. Other items on the van broke or were missing. We were glad to return the van at the end. There was no response from Kiwi management whatsoever about our bad experience and the Auckland staff avoided us like the plague. We will not be hiring from them again.